


Escape

by chrisnightmare



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-01-30 06:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrisnightmare/pseuds/chrisnightmare
Summary: In an attempt to rescue his friends, Grant Ward enters the Framework.It's a confusing, dangerous place and he just wants to go home.But then he discovers something dark and dangerous.Or rather, something dark and dangerous discovers him...
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Grant Ward
Comments: 19
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shaebae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaebae/gifts).

Grant opened his eyes.   
He was laying on a park bench, on his side, and a cold breeze nipped at his nose and ears.   
He sat up, furrowing his brow as he observed the area surrounding him. It was bleak and cold.  
Well, at least he had entered the Framework successfully.

He shuffled to his feet, his hand instinctively reaching to pat his hip where his gun should be.  
He sighed in relief as he felt the familiar shape of his weapon, running his fingers over it before lifting it and tucking it in the back of his belt.   
When it was safely hidden from view, he straightened his black coat and headed down the park's main path to find his friends and colleagues.

After around an hour of aimless walking, he came across a small town.   
He didn't recognize it; but then again, why should he? The Framework was designed to showcase what would have happened if Hydra had won.   
Things were much, much different...and Grant had bitten off more than he could chew. He just didn't know it yet.   
He walked up to a small cafe, opening the door and setting off a small bell.   
As he stepped in, a woman popped up from behind the counter and waved to him. 

"Just a moment and I'll be right with you, sir!" She called in a chipper tone.   
Grant nodded, walking up to the counter and sitting down.   
He looked over his shoulder suspiciously, his nerves on edge already.   
There were two older men at the counter as well, muttering to each other. There was a woman at a table, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper.   
A man with a briefcase talked urgently and quietly on a cellphone in the corner, looking up at everyone every few words. 

"Alrighty then, what'll it be for ya, love?"   
Grant turned his attention back to the lady behind the counter, who was now standing there looking at him expectantly.   
Her name tag read 'Loretta'.   
Grant stammered for a second, blinking as he tried to focus.   
"Oh, uhhm...a small black coffee, thanks."   
"Comin right up," she said, bouncing on her heels and walking away. 

Grant folded his hands and leaned on the counter, eavesdropping on the two men beside him.   
He caught something about 'inhumans', and Hydra, and cleared his throat.   
"What was that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. The two men turned to look at him, and the one sitting closer raised a dark brow.   
"What?" he asked, frowning behind his silver mustache. Grant spoke up again, attempting to not seem suspicious. 

"I uh, didn't hear what you said there. Sorry. Just curious."  
The man rubbed his chin, eyeing Grant before responding. "Oh, I was just telling my pal here how thankful I am that Hydra keeps those inhumans outta our town."  
Wait...what? Grant's throat turned dry, and he found himself speechless for a moment while his thoughts raced.   
"Oh...that's right..."  
The men chuckled. "Not from around here, are ya?" the other man asked, stroking his long straggly gray beard.   
He grinned with his teeth, showing that some were missing. 

Grant forced a small smile, shaking his head. "Afraid I'm not."  
The shorter man waved his hand dismissively, "Well, I'm Bill and this here is Mike. You are?"   
"Grant," Grant responded, tapping his finger anxiously on the counter.   
"Nice to meet you, Grant," Bill said. "Now, as I's was sayin'...Hydra keeps the peace round here. Usually they got to protect larger cities and bigger areas, but they must like our little town...We get all the protection we need from those nasty inhumans. Someday they'll be a dying breed." 

"Oh, I can't wait till that day, ya'll," Loretta said as she walked over and set down Grant's coffee.   
Grant looked up, nodding thanks to her.   
She leaned her elbows on the counter, shaking her head. "I'll tell you what, I seen a few of those inhumans a few weeks ago when I was in the city...couple of kids...those things had 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 behind their eyes...It was the most frightenin' thing I've ever seen. "

Bill shook his head, "That sounds awful, Retta."  
Grant could barely believe what he was hearing. This place really was messed up.   
"So...tell us about you, Grant," Mike piped up, smiling over at him.   
Grant looked at his coffee while he thought to himself.   
"Eh...not much to tell...just a small town guy doing some adventuring." 

"So where are you from, anyway?" Bill asked, rubbing his chin.   
"Funny, even I don't remember," Grant said, forcing another chuckle. "I've been traveling a long time."   
Grant pulled out his wallet and reached to grab a few bills to pay for his coffee. His SHIELD I.D. slipped out and fell on the floor, and he quickly got up to grab it.   
"Oh, don't worry, pal, I got you covered," Bill said, "Put it on my tab, Retta."

"Sure thing hun," Loretta said cheerfully.   
Grant reached to grab his I.D., but couldn't find it.   
"What you lookin' for, hun? Your I.D.? I think it slipped under the counter! Here, let me get it for ya..." Loretta stooped to pick it up, and Grant stood up quickly.   
Shit! "Oh, don't worry about it, it's-" he was cut off by a startled cry.   
Loretta stood, Grant's I.D. clutched in her fingers, her other hand over her mouth. 

"He's with SHIELD! He's one of them!"   
Everyone grew quiet. The atmosphere of the cafe changed.   
Bill narrowed his eyes at Grant as Loretta backed up. Grant made a grab for his I.D. but Loretta turned and dashed to the back, where she grabbed the phone on the wall and hurriedly began dialing a number.   
Grant backed up and moved towards the door, Bill and Mike standing up and moving towards him.   
Grant pulled his gun, glancing behind himself to open the door and pointing his gun at the men approaching him.   
He stepped outside and then took off, running out into the street. 

A man was getting onto his motorcycle across the street, and Grant ran over to him, pushing him off and jumping on.   
He revved the engine and backed up a few inches, speeding down the road at top speed.   
He had to get out of here...but he had to find his colleagues before it was too late...

***

A shadowy figure stood in the office, hands politely in their pockets as they looked out the floor length windows overlooking the city and darkening sky.   
They were roused from their thoughts when their phone rang, and they picked it up and lifted it to their ear.   
"Yes?" they spoke.   
"He was here."  
"Good. Which way did he go?"  
"He headed east. "  
"And you're certain you chipped the motorcycle?"  
"Yes. Chipped it this morning. He threw me off and took it. Just as we planned."  
"Good work. But you could do better. "  
"Don't worry, we won't let him slip through our fingers."  
"You'd better not. If you fail...you'll pay with your life."  
"Understood."  
"Understood, what?"  
"Sir."  
The figure hung up, smiling slowly. Everything was going just as he planned. 

***

Grant eventually slowed down as he made it a safe distance from the little town.  
His mind raced as he thought of what to do next.   
If everything was different here, would his friends still be the same? How was he even going to find them?  
Night was falling, so at least he'd be able to blend in better.   
As he neared the city, he began coming up with a strategy.   
He ditched the bike in an alley and headed down the street, pulling up his collar and putting his hands in his pockets. 

Up ahead he saw a nightclub.   
That would be a good place to blend in until he had a better plan.   
He slipped inside and began pushing through the tight groups of dancing people, wincing as the loud thrumming music assaulted his ears.   
He fought his way through and took a seat at a small table set closer towards the back, rubbing his forehead.   
He stayed that way for a while, trying to calm his mind and focus on a plan. 

It wasn't long before he noticed two big burly men with massive guns on their belts making their way through the crowd.   
He panicked for a moment. Where they here for him?   
He wasn't going to stay to find out. He got up, keeping his head low as he hurried into the crowd of people.   
Hands and other body parts pressed all over him and gyrated around him, and he found it hard to breathe as he tried to make it to the exit without being spotted.  
Suddenly he felt an arm around his neck and the hard steel of a gun being pressed into his back.   
"Outside. Now," a man's voice growled in his ear, and he was pushed through the crowd and out the exit. 

He was forced around the side of the building and then was stopped.   
"Now. Where's your gun?" the man hissed, and Grant quickly thought of his escape plan.   
"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want but I'm not your guy," he muttered.   
"Oh, you ARE our guy," the man said triumphantly, and Grant made his move.   
He spun, swinging his leg up and kicking the man in the face. 

He grabbed the man's arms and pointed them away so he wouldn't get shot at.  
He snapped the man's arm and made him drop the gun, flipping him over his shoulder and onto the ground.   
He grabbed the man's gun, panting, and backed up.   
"Who are you?" he growled, and the man coughed, struggling to move.   
"Just kill me!" he cried, "I'm as good as dead when he finds out I've failed!"   
Grant tilted his head. "Who?"

The man shook his head, cradling his broken arm and spitting out blood from his broken nose.   
Grant turned and quickly headed away, panting still and tucking the man's gun into his belt with his own.   
Well, two guns were better than one. 

***  
The dark, sleek car rolled up to the nightclub, the tinted window rolling down as a man looked out from the back passenger seat.   
The man with the broken arm shook his head, "I-I haven't lost him! I haven't failed! He's heading that way! I can still catch him! "  
The man in the car looked at him through his dark sunglasses, pointing his gun out the window.   
"No! Don't, please! I can-" the man was cut off as a bullet ripped through his skull.   
His body collapsed, and the window rolled up as the car slowly drove away. 

***  
Grant was quickly walking down the street when a car pulled up alongside him.  
The window rolled down, and a man leaned close.   
Grant kept walking, and the car kept pace with him.   
"Grant Ward? I suggest you come with me before there's any more...trouble..."

Grant looked at the man, unable to see who it was due to their sunglasses and the dark interior of the car.   
Grant slowly reached for his gun, and the man smiled. "I wouldn't if I were you, Ward."   
"How do you know my name?" Grant asked, hand now resting on his gun.   
"If you get in, I'll explain everything..."  
Grant hesitated. That wasn't a good idea at all. But he needed answers...

"And what guarantee of my safety do I have?"  
"You've just got to trust me, don't you?"  
The car rolled to a stop, and the door opened. A different man got out, and Grant backed up.   
"We'll be needing your guns, then," the man in the car smiled.   
The man reached out his hands for the guns.   
Grant slowly pulled them out and handed them over, heart beating rapidly. 

The man in the car smiled. "Very good. Get in."  
Grant was lead around to the other side, where the door rose up to let him in.   
He cautiously got in, sitting facing the man in sunglasses.   
As the car pulled away, Grant took a deep breath. 

"Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his brows.   
The man smiled, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest.   
Grant looked him up and down, trying to get a read on him.   
And then it clicked. The voice. the smile. "Fitz?!" he asked, eyes widening.

The man chuckled, taking off his sunglasses and folding them.   
"That's DOCTOR Fitz, to you."


	2. 2

"You have to come home, Fitz!" Grant protested, shaking his head. "What are you DOING here? Why do you look so different?"  
'Dr. Fitz' chuckled, shaking his head. "You know nothing of the Framework, do you? I am not your Leopold Fitz...I'm better..."  
Grant rubbed his temples in frustration, trying to process everything.  
"What do you want with ME?" he asked after a moment.  
Dr.Fitz smirked, raising his eyebrow. "We will get to that...but for now, I'm the only thing keeping you from being murdered by angry mobs of anti-gifteds...so I suggest you guard your tone around me, hm?"

***

Dr. Fitz took Grant to a massive building that reminded Grant of the SHIELD base, but just barely.  
Dr. Fitz did some light experimentation on him, before finally letting him in on some of his plans. 

"No...no way." Grant said, folding his arms. "I'm not going to do that."  
"You want your friends back, don't you?" Dr. Fitz purred, tilting his head.  
"Yes, but I'm not going to find a way to keep the Framework OPEN to access OUR world, just to get them back. They wouldn't want that. "  
Dr. Fitz chuckled, leaning a bit closer. "I don't see how you have much choice. As soon as people find your little gifted friend Daisy, I can't assume they will treat her very kindly..."  
"Are you threatening me?" Grant asked, glaring at the man before him. 

"Maybe I am...but at this moment, I am your only option...I can FIND your friends. And ensure you get back to where you belong safely..."  
Grant thought for a moment. "How do I know I have your word?"  
Dr. Fitz smiled, leaning even closer. "You don't. You just have to trust me, don't you?"  
Grant swallowed hard, looking away.  
Was this the only option he had? 

People in the Framework knew of his existence now, and he would be clocked if he went back out there.  
They had his I.D., and he couldn't disguise himself, as they had scanners.  
He was screwed without Dr. Fitz.  
He sighed, looking up at the man. "Fine. I'll do it. "  
Dr. Fitz smiled triumphantly. "Good. I am in the process of tracking your little scientist Jemma." 

Dr. Fitz didn't let on to the fact he already knew the location of all of Grant's team.  
He wanted to ensure Grant would hold up his end of the bargain. 

***

For the next week, Grant went repeatedly between his world to the Framework, figuring out how to ensure that the Framework wouldn't be destroyed once his team was safe.  
Dr. Fitz had a sort of portal, to allow Grant to go back and forth, in his lab, which he was using. He secretly was also adding a fail-safe, so that it would close, and shut the Framework out of his own world eventually anyway.  
He had a little remote that would detonate the timer. And once he would hit the button, he would have two hours to get out of the Framework before it closed down.  
As he worked, Dr. Fitz told him more and more about the location of his friends, and Grant knew the time to leave would be coming soon.  
Dr. Fitz had built a small device that when activated, would send those connected to it to wherever was dialed in.  
Once all Grant's friends were connected to it, he could send them back to their unconscious bodies outside of the Framework. 

Dr. Fitz and Grant had begun working together to analyze the Framework and "find" Grant's team, and Grant would never admit it but he had begun to develop some sort of emotion towards the Dr....something that wasn't negative.  
He couldn't possibly LIKE the man...  
But, he had had feelings for his own Fitz from his team for some time, and had never acted upon it.  
And this felt like some sick reality morph where he could still entertain that idea.  
He knew he was sick for the thought, it was getting in the way of him working.  
But...he couldn't help himself. 

And maybe he didn't want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall! Sorry it's taken me so long to continue writing!  
I lost my muse, then COVID hit and I just lost all energy to write.  
But y'all's comments have given me the energy and will to continue. Thank you so much!


	3. 3

"That should be all of them, yes?" Dr. Fitz asked, looking at his device.  
"Phil Coulson...Jemma Simmons...Daisy (Skye) Johnson...Leopold Fitz...?"  
Grant nodded, heart beginning to pound.  
This was really happening.  
But he had to find a way to keep Dr. Fitz here. He had to think of a way to keep him from suspecting anything.  
And he had two hours to do it, once his team was sent back. 

Dr. Fitz hit the button, and a loud electric crackling echoed through the lab before everything was silent.  
"They will remain unconscious until you give them these antidotes," Dr. Fitz said, showing the man a packet of small syringes.  
Wait...what??  
Grant reached for them, and Dr. Fitz chuckled, shaking his head and placing the bag into his pocket.  
"Oh, no...that's my way of ensuring you aren't lying to me...I will go out and give them to your team myself..."  
Shit. Grant swallowed, retracting his hand. 

He had to get those syringes.  
But he had to detonate the remote.  
He cleared his throat, nodding. "That's only fair...but, since we have more time...I...there's something I wanted to tell you..."  
Dr. Fitz looked up at the man as he stepped closer, raising an eyebrow.  
"I...." Grant felt the fear of rejection crawl into his chest, but he decided to go for it anyway. 

He leaned and kissed the shorter man, heart beginning to pound.  
He pulled back, awaiting a reaction.  
Dr. Fitz raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised. He searched Grant's face for signs of a lie, of a false emotion.  
But the man's face was genuine. And so he shrugged it off. What was the issue? Soon he would be in Grant's world, and this wouldn't matter. 

He grasped Grant by the shirt and forcefully pulled him back, pulling his head down and kissing him hard.  
Grant's heart leaped into his throat, but he reciprocated, placing an arm around the man.  
He reached behind himself and detonated the remote, giving himself two hours to distract the man until he had to go through the portal.  
He turned his full attention to Dr. Fitz, deciding it was okay to indulge...just once...

The smaller mans' hands roved over Grant's toned back, over his tight black shirt, and Grant shuddered.  
He reached for the man's lab coat, where the antidote was, pulling it off the man and tossing it close by.  
Dr. Fitz was tugging off his shirt, and dragging his nails over his exposed flesh, and his body was alight with energy and new sensations as he reciprocated, unsnapping the man's vest and then unbuttoning his shirt. 

The only light in the lab was a blue glow from the biolights, and in this light, Dr. Fitz looked...remarkable...  
Grant swallowed hard, letting Dr. Fitz lead. The shorter man pulled him up close, so their bodies touched as he kissed him again.  
Hands began to travel lower as the two got more heated, and it wasn't long before Grant's pants were undone.  
He panted as he broke away from another deep kiss, almost unable to believe this was happening.  
Dr. Fitz pushed him over to a table, pushing him down onto it and getting on top of him. 

He unbuckled his belt and undid his own pants, kicking them off.  
Grant looked up at him, throat going dry as he saw all of the man above him. He grasped Dr. Fitz' unbuttoned shirt and pulled him close, sitting up a bit to reach his lips.  
Several more kisses later, he began to nip at the man's neck, breathing deeply.  
"I want you inside," Dr. Fitz growled in his ear, and Grant felt a shiver run down his spine. 

He let the man take lead, surprised at his knowledge and confidence with this sort of thing.  
The two were soon locked in passion, and Grant felt feverish as he clung to the man above him.  
He had wanted this...and now, he had it. It was a little different than what he had originally expected, but he wasn't going to complain.  
Why did he have to develop feelings for this man? He would never see him again after this...

Dr. Fitz gripping his hair and pulling his head back to bite at his throat drew his attention away from his thoughts, and he allowed himself to dissolve into the man's touch.  
It didn't take long for the two to get more desperate, and less calculated in their movements.  
They chased after their euphoria together, and when they caught it, Grant's mind went completely blank on everything except Fitz. 

They remained entwined for some time, until finally breaking apart.  
Slowly, the two separated and got up, tracking down their discarded clothes and putting them on. 

Dr. Fitz looked at Grant as he pulled himself together.  
"Well...that was an experience, hm?"  
Grant nodded, furrowing his brows a bit.  
He leaned to kiss the man again, feeling a pang of guilt. Soon, this would all be over. But maybe the man wasn't so bad...Maybe he shouldn't have deceived him...  
He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud beeping sound. 

He pulled away, looking around.  
Shit, was it time?  
"Ward, what IS that?" Dr. Fitz demanded, immediately becoming worried and also angry.  
"What IS that?!"  
Grant reacted instinctively, punching the man hard and sending him to the floor, before grabbing the lab coat and the syringes and running to the portal. 

"GRANT!!" Dr. Fitz yelled, and Grant turned to face him, brows furrowed and regret in his eyes.  
"What have you DONE?" Dr. Fitz continued, dragging himself off the floor and wiping blood from his mouth.  
"I'm sorry..." Grant said, shaking his head before turning and jumping into the portal. 

Dr. Fitz ran at him, and the portal crackled, growing brighter before imploding, sending Dr. Fitz crashing backwards. 

***

Grant hurriedly gave his unconscious team the antidotes, waiting anxiously for them to awaken.  
Slowly, they began to move, looking around in confusion.  
Grant let out a sigh of relief. He'd done it.


	4. Epilogue

A week had passed since the incident, and everything was getting back to normal.  
Everyone had thanked Grant for the rescue, but he couldn't feel proud of himself for what he'd done.  
He hadn't told them everything that happened, and he probably never would.  
He was hanging around Fitz more, however, and was noticing some odd changes. 

He headed to the lab one night, when everyone else was off celebrating a completed mission.  
"Fitz? What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be out with the others?" Grant asked, seeing Fitz working on something in the corner.  
He moved closer, noticing a familiar remote.  
"...Fitz...? Why do you have that...?"  
Fitz slowly looked up, brows furrowed. "Help me..." he whimpered, "it's in my head...":

Grant rushed close to him, looking him over. "What? Fitz, what do you mean? What is?" 

Fitz shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut.  
A moment later they reopened, and a sudden darkness seemed to fill them.  
"Hello, Ward..." a familiar voice purred. 

Grant backed up. 'What?? That's impossible...I-I shut the connection!"  
"Did you really think I wouldn't have a trick up my own sleeve? I simply connected mine and Fitz' neurotransmitters, giving me enough of a connection to pass from the Framework to your world just once.  
But none of that matters now...I'm here. And now I'm going to use this body to rebuild the connection to my world.....And then...bring the Framework to YOURS..."

"You can't do that!" Grant protested.  
"Then kill me," Dr. Fitz said simply. "It's the only way to destroy me...but you'll be killing HIM too..." 

Grant looked at his gun, then back at Dr. Fitz. 

Fuck.  
This was a new issue he didn't know if he could handle. 

Only time would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the epilogue was a bit too long and weird. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading this story. Please go check out my dear friend Shaebaes' Fitz-Ward fanfiction for more SHIELD goodness! 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635217/chapters/62229550

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I haven't religiously watched SHIELD, so I may not have the characters down to a tee. Some things might not line up to canon and some things may be changed. But I wanted to write this for a friend! I'm not accepting critiques at this time, so please keep comments kind! I haven't written in a long time. Let me know if you want more!


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